Report shows Mayo town has eye on UNESCO recognition
Mulranny is one of Mayo's most picturesque locations.
A report conducted in a west Mayo village has highlighted UNESCO recognition for the area as a long-term solution for its climate goals.
was a report conducted in partnership with the local community and it presents a framework where local people not only benefit from climate action but help to shape it.
The project was launched in August 2024 and followed a three-phase approach: mapping, community engagement and solutions development.
During the mapping phase, researchers built a detailed picture of Mulranny, identifying groups at risk of exclusion and assessing local institutions, services, and community networks.
The subsequent community engagement phase involved surveys, interviews, and collective workshops, including sessions with under-represented groups such as the Ukrainian community, to capture a broad cross-section of local opinion.
The community highlighted strengths and challenges in Mulranny including strong social and ecological engagement, threats to natural assets, limited youth participation, housing shortages, and a lack of facilities and employment opportunities throughout this process.
The final phase involved co-designing climate solutions with the community and from this, two key initiatives were selected. A ‘Share, Care & Repair’ Programme, which is a local-level initiative to maintain momentum and build capacity for climate engagement was identified. This would create a local space, a repair hub or repair café, where the community could come together to share and borrow basic tools and equipment and learn repairing and upcycling skills.
Locals also identified recognition of the wider area as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) Reserve, an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments as a key initiative.
During the collective visioning process, the community envisioned as part of a broader plan for a Mayo MAB, Mulranny could develop itself as an education and training centre for ecology and climate research, fostering ties with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and local and national educational and research institutions to develop the idea.
The report says these solutions are not exhaustive but illustrate how climate investment can address existing development needs rather than perpetuate them.
